Geopolitics and the Event

An original exploration of the 2003 Iraq war and geopolitics more broadly through the prism of art. Offers a reappraisal of one of the most contentious and consequential events of the early twenty-first century Advances an original perspective on Britain’s role in the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq Maps out new ways of thinking about geopolitical events through art Examines the work of artists, curators and activists in light of Britain’s role as a colonial power in Iraq and the importance of oil Reflects on the significance, limits and dilemmas of art as a form of critical intervention Questions the implications of art in colonialism and modernity

List of Figures vi Series Editor’s Preface vii Acknowledgements viii 1 Introduction 1 2 Thinking Geopolitics Through the Event 16 3 Artworks as Evental Assemblages 35 4 Geopolitics at the Museum 57 5 Iraq Beyond Iraq 89 6 Geopolitical Aesthetics of Oil 117 7 Photomontage as Geopolitical Form 140 8 Geopolitical Bodies 163 9 Conclusions 188 References 196 Index 216